several times, the mixed soil being from 8 ft. to 10 ft. deep in
places, making the work of excavation very slow and laborious. For
instance, in 1914 there was evidence of at least four different
periods of buildings on the same site. In the early period there were
wood and wattle-and-daub houses. Over the remains of these in the
first half of the second century three long buildings were erected
with open fronts or porticoes similar to those found in 1912. About
the middle of the second century these three buildings were
incorporated in one large house with corridors, two courtyards, many
rooms, some with mosaic floors, and others fitted with hypocausts. A
bath-house, with cold baths and hot rooms, was situated at the
south-west corner. At a later period this dwelling was considerably
altered, several of the rooms being swept away, and the central part
of the building turned into one large courtyard with corridors on
three sides. Two new hypocausts were inserted and extra rooms and a
long corridor or verandah built at the back. Water was supplied to
the houses by a water main at the side of the road. By shutting
sluice-gates it was possible to divert the water into side channels
which ran through the houses, flushing their drains, and discharging
at the back into the river. Eleven wells were found during the
excavations, varying from 10 ft. to 12 ft. in depth and stone-lined.
"A number of crucibles and some unfinished bronze castings, etc.,
have been met with, showing that metalworking was carried on on the
site. There was also evidence of other industrial processes, such as
enamelling and working in bone. A very large number of small objects
has been discovered during the excavations, such as cameos and
engraved gems (some still set in finger rings), many brooches of
different metals, enamelled ornaments, and a quantity of interesting
articles in different metals, bone, glass, etc.
"The great quantity of pottery found may be judged by the fact that
upwards of 900 potters' stamps on Samian ware have been recorded. The
coins number between 1,200 and 1,300, among them being a few British
varieties. No coins later than the end of the fourth century have
been, as yet, met with, and the town does not appear to have been
inhabited after that date. What was the cause of its destruction or
desertion is, as yet, uncertain, but it is hoped that future
excavations will solve the problem.
"Detailed accounts of the excavations are printed in the Reports of
the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Nos.
1, 2, and 4."
The above has been extracted, by kind permission of the Council, from
the proceedings of the British Association for the Advancement of
Science for 1915; and is taken from the Report of the Committee on
"Excavations on Roman Sites in Britain," comprising the Special
Return made by J. P. Bushe-Fox, F.S.A.
WORKS BY REV. J. O. BEVAN, M.A., F.G.S., F.S.A.
(_Rector of Chillenden, Canterbury; Sometime Prizeman, Exhibitioner,
and Foundation Scholar of Emmanuel College, Cambridge_).
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End of Project Gutenberg's The Towns of Roman Britain, by James Oliver Bevan